I think it is fair to say that our Florida Winter has arrived. The water temps are cooling off nicely and the first cold fronts have moved into the state. Those northeast winds make the fishing a little tough. Our F-7 FL Strain bass do not like cold weather, and it makes them tuck into cover. But after these colder periods, the sun normally comes out and it gets warm again. If it can be avoided, don’t fish the day after a front when the sun shines and there is not a cloud in the sky. It may be nice out on the water, but I promise you it will be tougher than normal.
Our SJA teams just returned from Lake Seminole and boy it was tough. The Xtreme Two man was also up there at the same time and these pros also experienced a very challenging fishery. Normally Seminole produces big bags…sometimes you need a 30 lb. sack to win. Trust me, this weekend with the wind, rain, and cold – a 5 fish limit at 10 pounds or more was quite an achievement. Our high school team of MacKenzie and Dalton Bailey came in 4th place in the Regional Tournament on Saturday with more than 12 pounds for 3 fish. And our top team on Sunday’s State qualifier on Lake Seminole was Justin Lawrence and Bryce DiMauro with 17.97 pounds, 5 fish and a big fish of over 7 pounds and was good enough for 2nd place. Congrats to them!
Right now, our SJA Team is in first place for ‘Club of the Year’ and we are also in the hunt with several teams qualifying for Nationals through the Fall series. We need to finish the last tournament this year on Lake Okeechobee, December 4 and 5, very strong.
Please save the date for our Annual Fundraiser on February 19th on the St. John’s River. We have more teams this year and it takes a lot of money to send these teams to the National Championship in Alabama with a Captain for a week trip – fuel, logging, food and tackle is expensive. Hoping for more than 50 teams for the February 19, 2022 tournament. Hope to see everyone soon. Thank you again to all our sponsors and friends who help keep these student anglers on the water. Dave DiMauro- Director SJA
